


Giant's palm

by InkyJustine



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Chuck Lives, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, allusion to Ghost Drifting, minor-Chuck/Raleigh/Mako
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 19:38:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14385717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkyJustine/pseuds/InkyJustine
Summary: He sees Gipsy stumble towards Striker. His father screams.Chuck falls.It's a long way down.





	Giant's palm

**Author's Note:**

> God it's been so long. This fic is a little different from my usual but hopefully not bad. ^^

The flares are an amazingly stupid idea, but it gives Chuck a little boy's thrill when they hit Leatherback right in the gigantic face. 

Rain beats down on them and of course a flare to the eye only manages to piss of the Kaiju. It doesn't slow, but maybe it's enough to keep it away from the city a moment longer. 

Chuck laughs, because he's scared out of his mind. It's too late to get out of here, out of the way. 

He's never been as close to death as this. 

Then Leatherback turns as they're getting blinded by a sudden light. Gipsy descends like the wrath of God. Like an angel, if angels were made of steel, were a Jaeger getting transported by a bunch of helicopters. 

It's the most beautiful thing Chuck has seen in a while. 

This, he knows, would have given his teenage-self a kick. His Gipsy Danger action figure is still buried somewhere among his things. 

The fight is on. 

"Kick his ass, Gipsy!" Chuck shouts into the storm as the other Jaeger pulls Leatherback away from them. Otachi heads to the city, but Chuck knows that they'll get to it in time. They have to. But meanwhile Gipsy positions herself between them and the Kaiju. 

If Chuck had been younger, he would have jumped up and down when Leatherback punches Gipsy, making her stagger. He sees Gipsy stumble towards Striker. 

His father screams. 

Chuck falls. 

It's a long way down. 

An instinct Chuck doesn't even know he has makes him twist midair. He hits the ocean's surface feet first, lessening the impact and keeping his legs from shattering with the force of it. But immediately a wave drags him under while Gipsy pulls Leatherback away from the unresponsive Striker. 

Chuck's first panicked thoughts are for his father. With that arm he can't swim, but he looks around and it's only him. With any luck Hercules is still up on Striker.

His second thoughts are that he's still going to die. The storm has whipped the water into a frenzy and the drivesuit is heavy.

The third thoughts wonder if Mako and Raleigh even noticed what happened. Striker's systems are fried. His father won't be able to contact the Shatterdome. 

No one is going to come for him. 

It's sink or swim unless he wants to die. 

Chuck told Raleigh the truth. He likes his life, he's not ready to give up on it just yet. 

So he swims, drivesuit threatening to drag him down. Striker isn't a lot of help, not designed for people clinging to its legs, but Chuck tries it anyway. It's the only chance he's got not to get swept out to sea. There is a balance to be kept between not getting dragged away or under by the pull of the waves and not getting crushed against Striker's plates. 

Only distantly he hears the fight. Leatherback roars. Gipsy's plasma cannon fires up, but those are distant problems compared to the immediate danger of drowning. Chuck can't keep track of it in his position anyway. There are more important things to worry about. 

This, Chuck decides, is all Raleigh's fault. The thought carries less heat than usual. 

He grows tired. Young man in peak physical shape, but the ocean drags at him, doesn't let up or give him a breather. Gipsy's gone, but the sounds of fighting waft out from the city. So distantly it might have been on another planet altogether. 

And then it stops. 

Chuck swims, trying desperately to stay afloat. 

He's 21 and he doesn't want to die.

Waves throw him from side to side like a ball. He looks up and there is Gipsy striding towards them. Chuck presses his feet against Striker's leg, bracing himself against the tide. Gipsy is almost on top of him and one step of the Jaeger creates enough undertow to pull him under. 

Chuck turns underwater, momentarily disoriented. Something seems to crash into the water beside him. Water gets into his nose, but a moment later metal is suddenly underneath him, pulling him up and _up_. 

His head breaks the surface. A gallon of water comes up as he coughs and gasps for breath and tries not to puke. It's a thoroughly miserable feeling. He's shaking from the cold, crouching on Gipsy's giant palm. It's jarring. Everyone's aware of how gigantic Jaegers are, but sitting on the palm of one gives another perspective altogether. Each finger towers over him like a mountain. If Raleigh and Mako wanted to, they could crush him without a moment's resistance. 

Chuck looks at Gipsy's face. Behind it, Mako and Raleigh are piloting the Jaeger. To them he must look like an ant. The fingers curl slightly. The rain stops, or rather, it keeps going everywhere else but none of it is hitting Chuck anymore. Impressive control. 

He's awed despite himself.

Metal groaning, Gipsy moves, brings him over to the still unresponsive Striker. The fingers uncurl slightly. 

His father looks like he's having a stroke. He looks pale, but there's no hesitation before he joins Chuck on Gipsy's palm.

"Are you alright?" None of the panic is in Hercules voice and Chuck didn't expect it to either. Gruff as ever, but Chuck recognizes the relief on his face. 

Chuck nods. "Yeah, I'm fine."

To his surprise, his father pulls him into a one-armed hug while Gipsy carries them back to shore, leaving Striker to stand motionless and dead in the ocean. 

He'll be fine.

They'll come back for him later.

 

He's not fine, Chuck, that is. The hour-long stint in the ocean gets him a cold and since it's the end of the world he'll have to suck it up and pilot Striker with none other than the Marshal his own damn self.

It's alright though. The cold doesn't even matter since he's going to die.

The plan started out with four Jaegers, now there’s two. It may be enough to close the Breach, but not enough to let them return. 

Chuck panics, he knows he does. His chest hurts and it's not from the cold. Inspiring speech or not, dread weights like a stone in the pit of Chuck's belly. His sinuses feel like they're trying to burn their way out of his face and there is no one else. It has to be him and Pentecost.

At least his father will live. 

But he's never going to see Max again after this. There are so many thing he still wants to do. It's not like he's ever made a bucket list, but he would have liked that chance.  
He likes his life. It's a shame to lose it. 

Chuck's wiping a hand over his eyes when someone knocks on the door. He's supposed to hurry, but it's only Raleigh on the other side, suited up in a way that Chuck isn't yet. Years ago, as a teen, Chuck might have squealed at seeing his once-hero, but there's been a lot of water under that particular bridge so he only ducks his head and lets him in. 

"What do you want?" 

The last few days they've been more friendly, but it doesn't erase their brawl. 

Raleigh looks at him and Chuck nearly shifts on the spot. He knows what he looks like. 

"Just wanted to see how you're holding up," Raleigh says. Pity is the last thing Chuck wants from him. 

"What for? I'm going to die," Chuck spits the words out as if they're acid, which they are. Almost. The knowledge eats through him. 

Raleigh opens his mouth, probably to give Chuck some meaningless assurance that he's not going to die even though he's going to walk to the Breach, miles under the sea with a damn bomb strapped to his back. 

There will be Kaijus, Chuck can feel it and he's not optimistic enough to think the plan will go off without a hitch. His life has never worked out that way. 

Instead of any of the dozen empty platitudes, Raleigh's mouth closes and he does the unthinkable. He reaches out and wraps his arms around Chuck, pulls him into the unyielding material of his drivesuit. 

Chuck stiffens. He's no stranger to his father's peril of whether to give him a hug or a kick in the ass, he's felt it in the drift. Since Raleigh has already done the later, well, it almost figures doesn't it.

He's weak. Chuck can't help the way his own arms come up and his face finds its way to Raleigh's neck. 

Fear crushes him. He's 21 and he's going to die. 

Tears run down his face. Raleigh keeps quiet, but one of his hands cups the back of Chuck's head while other rubs circles into his back. Chuck wants nothing more than to stay here forever. 

Of course he can't. They part a while later and Chuck resolutely doesn't look at Raleigh. It was fine when Raleigh couldn't see his face, but now Chuck's eyes are bloodshot and Raleigh still looks like a goddamn hero. Shame and fear and anger at himself for his lack of control churns in his belly, but curiously it fades when Raleigh's fingers wipe away his tears. 

Then Raleigh smiles. "Catch you on the flip side, yeah?"

Chuck nods. "Good luck, Raleigh." At least his voice comes out steady. 

 

He's 21 and knows he'll die regretting that he didn't kiss Raleigh when he had the chance. 

 

They walk to the Break and three Kaiju wait for them. The fight is almost over before it starts.

The Kaiju evolved and underwater they're faster than the Jaegers. It's almost laughable how quickly they cripple Striker and Gipsy.

No one laughs of course. 

Chuck's chest hurts and his sinuses feel like they try to burn their way out of his face. The release of the bomb is jammed. There is no way they're going to make it, not Striker at least. 

There is a flicker from Stacker's side of the bond that Chuck can't decipher despite being in his brain. Stacker's control is immaculate, but Chuck feels the love he has for Mako when they speak their last words to one another. Chuck already had his with his father, but he still _regrets _. There is so much he wants to make right between them.__

__He can't help but regret the things he hasn't told Raleigh._ _

__There is another flicker from Stacker and Chuck smoothes out his thoughts. He promised to be professional and he will be. He'll die with his head held high._ _

__He's going to make his dad proud._ _

__Another flicker and this time Chuck manages to read the intent bleeding through._ _

__His head whips around. His eyes widen even though hope blossoms in his chest. "Stacker, no!" _You can't do this._ But of course Stacker can, Pentecost can do anything. _ _

__Stacker nods at him, one ranger to another. "Good luck."_ _

__

__The harness that connects the pilots to their Jaeger keeps him motionless as it places him into the escape pod._ _

__Chuck screams, tries to fight it. Leaving Stacker behind was never part of any plan at all. He hears the roar of the Kaiju and one of them hesitates to look after him. Then the bomb explodes below him. The systems give warning beeps as the radiation skyrocks. He rushes towards the surface. The escape pod rocks, throwing him around its insides and he hits his head and that's the last he knows._ _

__

__He wakes again before the escape pod opens. Other pains joined the aches of his cold. The clasp is jammed and he feels sick and elevated all at once. No Kaiju rise out of the waves so he allows himself a bit of hope._ _

__The pod bops on the waves and then it nearly capsizes, rolling Chuck's stomach. But it's fine when Mako and Raleigh appear in his field of vision. There's some fumbling before the escape pod opens._ _

__

__"Are you alright?" Raleigh asks him, smiling the smile of the recently survived._ _

__Chuck nods, lets Raleigh pull him into a sitting position. It doesn't escape his notice that Raleigh doesn't let him go after, but to his surprise it's Mako who leans in to kiss him. Even though Raleigh is the one who looks like he wants to._ _

__Her lips feel chapped against his, but not unpleasant at all. It's just she isn't the one he's wanted to kiss. Once she pulls back there is no time for the question to leave Chuck's mouth before Raleigh pulls him in with his hands on either side of Chuck's face for a kiss that lingers._ _

__Chuck is 21 and he's never-- of course he did everything expected of a guy his age, but he's never been kissed by someone who matters the way Raleigh does. He has groupies, but he never leaves the Shatterdome. Having your father in your head on a regular basis isn't encouraging in that regard._ _

__He is 21 and banged up and Raleigh is kissing him. His teenage-self would have been proud._ _

__Chuck is 21 and suddenly his whole life is spread out in front of him._ _

__He's going to live._ _


End file.
